Warrensville Heights, OH – Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge (OH-11) (pictured), a Warrensville Heights Democrat who also chairs the Congressional Black Caucus of Blacks in Congress, released a press statement today following the announcement by the Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) of first-round funding awards to land banks in 11 counties throughout the nation through the the Neighborhood Initiative Program (NIP).  The program is based on approval by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to reallocate up to $60 million of the state’s remaining Hardest Hit Funds for demolition purposes.

The land banks in the 11th congressional district that will receive a portion of funding through NIP are the Cuyahoga County Land Reutilization Corporation , which will receive $10,118,750, and  the Summit County Land Reutilization Corporation, which will receive $2,000,000.

Cuyahoga County, a county with 59 municipalities , townships and villages, includes the cities of Cleveland and East Cleveland. Neighboring Summit County includes the city of Akron, a city some 30 miles south of Cleveland.

Fudge's 11th congressional district includes the majority Black East Cleveland and parts of Cleveland, which is also a largely Black city, and its eastern suburbs, and a largely Black pocket of Akron.

“The Hardest Hit Fund program was designed to prevent future foreclosures," said Fudge. "However, since 2010 millions of dollars in funding available to Ohio homeowners went unused."

In the meantime, said Fudge " communities struggled to deal with a staggering volume of vacant and blighted properties left in the wake of the housing crisis."

The congresswoman thanked  the U.S. Department of Treasury for granting the Ohio Housing Finance Agency a waiver so that a portion of that money can be effectively targeted to demolition needs in impacted communities in her district.

“Of the $49.5 million that will be made available in the first-round allocation by OHFA, a total of $12 million will go to land banks in Cuyahoga and Summit Counties," said Fudge. "Putting these funds to use by increasing resources for demolition will help to restore property values for homeowners who live near blighted properties and will improve the quality of life for residents in impacted communities.”

Background:  In July 2013, Congresswoman Fudge co-introduced the Restore Our Neighborhoods Act (H.R. 656) to permanently restructure the Hardest Hit Fund Program and increase funding for demolition while encouraging and supporting the state of Ohio’s efforts to pursue a waiver.  The legislation is pending.